The Love Bug
by Crystal Koneko
Summary: Hiei has been hit with the love bug - literally. Cursed with an awkward infatuation with the first woman he sets eyes on, the gang must find the cure for Hiei's ailment while also dealing with the repercussions! Hiei/Botan snippet series.
1. Cursed!

I've been terrible about all the plans I've had for my stories, I apologize. But I've been struck with a small bit of inspiration. This will be another drabble series, and I will do my best to update. I'm super busy but I'll find time for this - everything else will be updated eventually. Sorry!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters in it.

 **Summary:** Hiei has been hit with the love bug - literally. Cursed with an awkward infatuation with the first woman he sets eyes on, the gang must find the cure for Hiei's ailment while also dealing with the repercussions! Hiei/Botan drabble series.

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 **The Love Bug**  
 _Chapter One: Cursed_

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Botan pushed open the doors to Koenma's office with all of her might, rushing out them the second she could squeeze through. She'd been ordered by the Prince to receive Hiei in the halls and guide him back to Koenma's office. Not that he needed help finding it, but she clearly needed to do a teensy weensy bit of damage control as the fire demon heatedly made his way through the castle. Whatever reason he was here, it couldn't be a very good one by the looks of it, she thought. From the large screen on Koenma's wall, one could see him pushing all sorts of spirits and ogres out of his way without much care for all the chaos he was causing as papers flew out of hands or people bumped into each other.

Her sandals slapped loudly on the marble floors as she made her way skillfully through the hall until she could barely hear the "clack" of them over the yelps and curses ahead. Sighing gratefully once she caught sight of his dark hair and clothing, she paused and stood on her tiptoes, waving, "Hiei! Yoohoo, over here! Please slow down, you're causing quite the scene there..."

Trailing off, she sweatdropped at the complete mayhem he had left in his wake. He sure knew how to make an entrance! She took a small step back once he took notice of her and growled in annoyance.

" _You_. Of course Koenma had to send a ferry girl to do his dirty work."

The rebuttal was stuck in Botan's throat as everything began happening in slow motion. The door to Hiei's left flying open. Hinageshi's red hair as she stumbled out of it. The purple bottle rattling off the tray in her hands as she tried to regain her balance. Hinageshi's cry of "Oh, n-no!" as it shattered on the floor at Hiei's feet. The magenta smoke-cloud that filled the hallway around him and the sweet fragrance of flowers permeating from the cloud.

Coughing slightly and waving her hand in front of her face to clear the smoke away, Botan rushed over to make sure they were both alright. Hinageshi seemed just fine, albight staring in shock at poor Hiei. As the smoke began to dissipate, the bluette put her hand on his shoulder while he stood stiff as a board. Shaking him slightly, she asked, "Are you okay, Hiei?"

Expecting the wrath of his anger, her hand fell from his shoulder in surprise as he blinked at her a few times before his eyes softened as he gazed at her in a complete daze.

Well, this was far from normal.

"Oh, dear."


	2. It's Gettin' Hot in Here

So I had a hard time deciding which character to focus on for this chapter. Since I want to keep it similar to a drabble series like All in Due Time, expect me to randomly switch it up. I may focus on Botan more in the beginning of the series and Hiei more towards the end because it fits my plans.

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 **The Love Bug**  
 _Chapter Two: It's Gettin' Hot in Here_

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Botan gulped and took a step back, instantly regretting speaking at all. The second she opened her mouth she saw Hiei break out of his daze, unfortunately into a whole new stupor - his eyes pinning her down with a heat like molten fire. He took one step towards her, and she took one back again, their eyes never leaving each other. He followed her, like a dance she didn't even know she was participating in until her back hit the wall.

The ferry girl gasped as he stepped into her personal space, unable to even think as he pressed against her. The warmth from his body coursed through her veins and she had to resist from fanning herself as her cheeks grew red. Botan knew better than to make any movements. Hiei was a predator to the core, and right now she was his prey.

Hiei, only slightly shorter than her now, released a low gutteral sound from his throat as he nuzzled along her jaw and into her throat. She squealed as her eyes shot up towards the rest of the hall in surprise. If possible, her face grew hotter and redder as she just noticed the other occupants of the hall. The looks of shock on their faces, disgust on some, interest on others. All standing and watching, not helping her at all, only waiting for the next bit of juicy gossip to come their way. Her wits coming back about her as she realized she and Hiei weren't the only ones there, Botan managed to squeeze her arms up between herself and Hiei to create some distance between them. Resting them on his chest, she pushed him away slightly, "I-I don't understand."

"Hn."

Botan resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he grunted at her. Even though he'd clearly gone crazy, some things never change. The thought quickly left her as he slowly leaned forward and licked her cheek. Squealing again at the wetness on her skin, she turned her head to the side to move away from his mouth. Catching sight of Hinageshi not far away and looking unsure of what to do, she nearly begged her friend, "Hinageshi! What was that? Please, get Koenma!"

She was spared any more embarrassment or having to wait for Hinageshi to get help as she heard Prince Koenma's voice fill the hall, commanding everyone to clear out and get back to their duties. Botan thanked all of her lucky stars as Koenma used one of the Spirit World's handy-dandy stunning gadgets on the fire demon against her, effectively freeing her from the wall.

 _What in the three worlds just happened?!_

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Tell me your thoughts! Let me know what you like or don't like so far.


	3. Fake Love

A quick note! Just like _All in Due Time_ , the length of the chapters will be staying the same. I know they're short. But these are snippets, and once I get past this chapter we're going to be jumping from moment to moment. I'm sorry if that disappoints anyone but I thought I should clear that up.

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 **The Love Bug**  
Chapter Three: Fake Love

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Botan wearily eyed Hiei's body on the chair next to her. Koenma had his ogres carry him into the office and leave him there, while Botan and Hinageshi sat in the other chairs next to him. Cringing as he growled in his sleep, she sheepishly glanced at the Prince while Hinageshi explained what had happened in the hallway. Hiei would not be happy once he woke up, but hopefully Koenma could shed some light on the matter.

The Spirit World prince sucked hard on his pacifier once Hinageshi finished her story. This was not good. Sighing, Koenma began telling his ferry girls what he knew.

"The bottle that Hinageshi was transferring to the laboratory in our witch craft department was a curse. Simply put, it was a love potion."

"Sir! You can't be serious. Tell me that this is a horrible joke!" Botan jolted from her seat in near disbelief. If she hadn't seen it for herself, she would think Koenma was tricking her again like that time he and Ogre had convinced her for nearly a month that Ayame had quit, when really she was on vacation.

The princeling shook his head with a frown, and Botan slumped back down into her seat. Oh, how did she always end up getting in these situations?

"As I was saying, the contents of that bottle were unfortunately a love potion. We do not know much about it, which is why I was having Hinageshi deliver it to the lab. To tell you the truth, all I can really say is that it was made by a witch doctor in the Demon World. There is a lot we need to learn about this. The lab was going to study the ingredients, how long the effects last and what they are exactly, and find the antidote. Due to our current situation, I will make this their top priority. If any demons find out what has happened to Hiei, I can only imagine the trouble it will cause. It is one thing for demons to use this on demons, but if they hear that Hiei is bound unwillingly to a ferry girl, riots or attacks could break out. Since we are in a slightly peaceful time between worlds, I'd rather not we be the reason that peace is broken. This needs to stay quiet."

Botan stared unhappily at Koenma, knowing this could only mean one thing, "Are you saying that I need to wait this out?"

"I'm sorry, Botan," he replied, "I know this is going to be difficult. I'll give the lab four weeks to come up with the antidote. If they do not have it by then, I will allow you to investigate in Demon World with Yusuke and Kurama. I will contact Mukuro this week and inform her of this incident. As for Hiei, he was hit full force by the potion. The amount of smoke he inhaled was what caused his actions towards you in the hallway. When he wakes, he will still consider himself in love with you, however he will have more control over his emotions. Slowly but surely he will act more normal. Like how he would be as if he were truly in love with someone."

Hinageshi, who had been quiet this whole time (feeling overwhelmingly guilty about what happened), finally spoke up. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Does this mean Botan should pretend she loves him too?"

Botan nearly choked, looking in horror at Hinageshi. There was no way she could possibly do such a thing! Hiei was likely to kill her enough as it is once this is all worked out, but to play along? No, she couldn't possibly. It was wrong. The thought alone made her feel like she was taking advantage of Hiei.

"No, not at all. The last thing Spirit World needs right now is Hiei trying to get revenge and trying to destroy us with his Dragon of the Darkness Flame. Just act as you naturally would towards him."

Looking over at Hiei's limp form in the chair, sleeping more peacefully than earlier, Botan wondered how she was going to do this. Who knew how long it would take to find answers? And if the lab didn't find any, she would be waiting at least one whole month with Hiei in fake-love with her. She had never experienced love before. The least the fates could do was make it real. It seemed rather cruel... for the both of them.

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Okay! I know this chapter was probably not all that interesting, but now that the explanation is out of the way, we can get to the good stuff. See you soon, friends.


	4. Intruder Alert

**The Love Bug**  
 _Chapter Four: Intruder Alert_

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Sighing contently as she shut the door to her bathroom, Botan walked to her small vanity and dried her hair in front of the mirror. Clad in her fluffy pajamas, she couldn't be happier to have had a relaxing bubble bath after such a long, stressful, and emotionally exhausting day. Having Hiei magically forced to fall in love with you would wear anyone out! Her dark bedroom left her feeling refreshed though, with the giant moon in Spirit World illuminating through her windows and lighting the dark corners.

 _Spirits need pampering too!_ She thought to herself as she started combing through her long locks. Really, nothing could ruin the carefree environment she had created for herself tonight.

Almost.

Botan squeaked in surprise as two glowing red eyes stared back at her through her mirror, spinning around to come face to face with the perpetrator.

"Hiei! What are you doing here?"

He said nothing, clearly agitated with her question and not willing to give her any answers. Feeling creeped out by the way it felt like his eyes were piercing her soul in the dark, she moved away from her vanity and leaned against her bed, feeling safer with distance between them.

"I think you should go. This must be against at least six Spirit World protocols. Not to mention inappropriate considering our issue! Oh, I hope nobody saw you. We could get in a lot of trouble, and-"

"Woman. Stop speaking."

Blinking as he interrupted her, Botan pushed two fingers together nervously, "Oh. Uhm, alright then."

Sighing again, but this time in defeat as he continued staring at her, Botan sat on her bed. She felt rather unnerved with the way he seemed to be studying her. Quite the opposite of their usual interactions where he normally ignored her unless threatening her. They seemed to stay like that for the longest time, although probably only minutes, before he turned away from her.

"As if anyone could see me when I don't want them to," were the only words he said before jumping into her window, sitting in the sill and turning towards the moon, sword ready against his shoulder in case of danger. Botan smiled secretly to herself before laying back against her pillows to try and sleep.

 _Is Hiei-in-love the protective type?_

However awkward this was, she supposed she should try and get used to it. It's an odd start to their time together, but it could have been worse.

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No worries guys, next chapter is going to be mostly Hiei and give us a little insight on him before he got to Botan's room. Then we're off! Leaving behind this first day of the curse. Reviews are always appreciated.


	5. Effects Part One

This chapter was slightly longer than I want the chapters to be for this story, so I'm actually splitting it in two. I appreciate all of your reviews, thank you everyone.

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 **The Love Bug**  
 _Chapter Five: Effects Part One_

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The next morning, Hiei was still perched in the same window as the night before. Botan wiped her bleary eyes in disbelief as she rose from her pillow, realizing he must have stayed the whole night. She wondered what he planned on doing for the rest of the day but didn't bother asking. Although Hiei-in-love was acting much differently towards her, she was still used to being on his bad side and after last night he didn't seem to want to answer any questions. The ferry girl chirped a quick, "good morning," as she hopped out of bed and went to her closet. As she pulled out a fresh kimono, she attempted to plaster a smile on her face. She had to have faith in the Spirit World laboratory!

After readying herself for the day, Botan walked towards the door but stopped just short of it, her hand hovering over the handle. Glancing back at Hiei, she was unsure what to do. Did she just leave him here? Was he going to go back to Demon World? Did Prince Koenma ask him to stay here? Luckily, her demon companion saved her the trouble and got out of the window, opened the door and walked out as if it was nothing.

Botan quickly locked her door and ran to catch up with him. They walked in silence toward where Botan would grab her ferrying list for the day, and she soon began to feel awkward at the normality of the situation. It was almost as if this was how they always were. Feeling antsy and out of place, she bit her lip to keep from saying anything irrational.

Finally it all became too much for her. Stopping in the middle of the quiet hall, Botan finally blurted out, "You do know you're not actually in love with me, right?"

Gasping at her lack of self control and blunt words, Botan quickly covered her mouth as if to keep them from coming out. It was already too late though and Hiei was giving her a less than amused glare. Trying to recover from her blunder, she backed away and shook her hands in front of her, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Hiei! I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I just meant... well, I'm not sure what I meant but I assure you I meant no offense! You're a swell guy and I'm sure any girl would be lucky to have you. Please don't kill me."

As she finished her tirade and got no reply, it came to her attention that Hiei wasn't listening to a word she said. Instead he seemed to be in a world all of his own, as if he were just hit by the curse.

Oh, Hiei knew he wasn't in love with her. At least that's what logic dictated from their past experiences, and from what Koenma told him the night before. But none of that seemed to make sense any more. All the things that annoyed him about her before made him hot on the inside now. Her voice echoed in his head and practically melted his ice-cold heart. Her eyes reminded him of the sunset in the Demon World that he always made time to watch. He knew that her hair felt like silk from their encounter in the hallway, and he itched to touch it. Her skin smelled of innocence and everything in him was screaming at him to claim it. And her lips, well, he had to fight to keep himself from ravaging as she spoke. Everything about her was perfection and that perfection needed to be his. Even her damned bubbly personality, loud mouth, and ditzy countenance. Her need to be in everyone's business, her need to be acknowledged and a part of everything, her perplexing traits that made her care about everybody.

He had to have it. He had to have _her_.


	6. Effects Part Two

Sorry I'm updating a little later than planned, but work and Valentine's Day got in my way!

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 **The Love Bug**  
 _Chapter Six: Effects Part Two_

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"Hello? Hiei? _Earth to Hiei._ Are you still here?"

Hiei was broken out of his daze by a hand waving in front of his face and the worried amethyst eyes of the ferry girl. He glowered and batted her hand away from his face - she needed to move away from him before he did something he might regret later.

"Hn. I'm aware."

"Oh," Botan stated dully and backed away from him, and they were once again left in an awkward silence. She wasn't sure what to say about it and either Hiei did not want to talk about it or he was in his own head again. She began the trek towards their destination and he followed, a few steps behind.

"Well, did Lord Koenma tell you that you need to stay with me, then? I mean, since you've been following me and all."

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 _"I understand that this is a lot for you to take in right now, Hiei. I know that your emotions are going to be confusing but you will need to control yourself. If you pull a stunt like the one in the hallway again we will have to contain you for your own good and Botan's."_

 _Hiei glared at the prince from across his desk, not replying. He hated Spirit World. He especially hated Koenma. He hated everything Koenma was saying. But after just finding out he was under the effects of some sort of love potion, he knew that what he was being told was all true. Koenma was right. Hiei's emotions and instincts were going haywire and it was taking every ounce of strength in him not to hunt down the ferry girl. Unfortunately he couldn't tell if it was to kill her for putting him in this position or for something else entirely._

 _Atleast he was in control of himself again. If he was a lesser man he might be embarrassed about what transpired earlier. Grunting, Hiei chose not to reply to the Prince of Spirit World and instead chose to stare at the wall to his right._

 _"Seeing as this incident has occured in Spirit World, you may make use of any of our counseling services if you wish. I suspect that you won't. Also, it may be best for you to return to your own world away from Botan. If you do so, I will keep you updated on everything that we find out. I will be making a formal statement to Mukuro shortly but I ask that this stay a private matter for obvious reasons."_

 _"I don't care what you do nor do I care for politics. Just figure it out," Hiei bit out before storming out of Koenma's office, not in the mood to listen to any more of this nonsense. He needed to think._

 _Then he needed to find the ferry girl._

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Smirking, Hiei lied.

"Yes."

Botan, not even noticing the less than savory look on his face, smiled and pointed ahead dutifully, "Alrighty then! Time to get ferrying, partner."

She may be too good to take advantage of the situation, but Hiei had no qualms taking advantage of her trusting nature to get what he wanted.

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Okay! FINALLY! Time for the fun stuff! From here on until later in the story, we will mostly have Botan's point of view. I apologize if this chapter and the last chapter felt a little all over the place. It flowed better in my head than when I was actually writing it.


	7. Hiei Gets Told Off

**The Love Bug**  
 _Chapter Seven: Hiei Gets Told Off_

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The next day, Botan had had enough. Two whole days of ferrying poor souls, and Hiei had made the experience for these newly dead people as terrible as possible. He was crass, unsympathetic, and downright rude. Hiei might be "in love" with her but he was still Hiei, and he didn't care about the feelings of simple humans, dead or not. Never having been so angry at him in her whole existance, the bluette slammed the door behind her the moment they entered her room. Fuming, Botan quickly removed her sandals and stormed across her room to get some air on her balcony, knowing that if she spoke to him now she would only begin an arguement.

Hiei, of course, chose to ignore her obvious displeasure and need for space. Following her outside, he crossed his arms and stood next to her while she tried to pretend he wasn't there. Silence hung over them as he watched her. Her powder blue hair was brushing against her stiff shoulders as a light wind caressed her milky skin, causing goosebumps to rise on her flesh. Something stirred inside him at the sight of her, but he squashed it down when she huffed in exasperation and rubbed her hands over her arms to fight the chill of the night.

"You're cold," he stated after a moment, and she finally turned to face him, slamming her hand down on the balcony.

"Hiei, how dare you! _I'm_ cold? _You're_ cold! Cold hearted! I barely even know what to say to you right now. I understand that you don't like humans, but the least you could do is try to and be a little more empathetic to a person who has just lost their life and has no idea what is going on or where they are about to go. Their whole world has been turned upside down. And they're alone. Completely, and utterly alone. They have no choice but to leave behind everything they have ever known. Surely you can relate to at least one of those things," Botan paused, breathing hard as she let out all of the anger that had built up over the past two days, "And even if you can't... I wish you ever had enough respect for me to realize that this is important to me. This is who I am. I am a ferry girl and that is my purpose. When you mock those souls you're mocking what I do, and in turn you're mocking me. Which was never a problem for you in the past but since we're stuck with each other right now, could you try not to make my job any more difficult than it has to be?"

When she was finished her tirade, Botan waited and hoped for a response from her demon counterpart. When he stood stock still and said nothing, she just sighed in disappointment and shook her head. She moved past him to get back to her room and closed the door behind her, hoping he would stay outside on the balcony for the night. They had a long day of ferrying again tomorrow and she needed to calm down. She was angry, yes, but also hurt. He made her feel like being a ferry girl was a joke, like she was a joke.

Botan wasn't sure why she expected more from Hiei. He never cared before so why would he care now? But she did expect more. Maybe because they spent so much time together over the last few days? Although now that she thought about it, she should consider herself lucky to spend any more time together at all after the way she just blew up on him. Really, she should consider herself lucky to be alive (as alive as a ferry girl could be, anyway).


	8. R&R Part One

Uh, well. Nothing to say except I'm sorry, don't hate me! Work has been slowly murdering me. xD

The good news is this chapter got too long again and I have now ended up with two (the second one being a bit longer). Less wait time, yay.

 _Also, just going to throw out a small thank you to LonelyDreamer7 for the cute art she did for this story at the request of Mystikoorime. It made me super happy!_

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 **The Love Bug  
** _Chapter Eight:_ _R &R Part One_

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Botan found herself pleasantly surprised the next day in the middle of her ferrying shift. So far, no malicious comments from Hiei towards the human souls. Not even a sarcastic grunt! When he hadn't bothered replying the night before, she was sure that he didn't give a hoot about what she had said and that today would continue just as terribly as the last few, but clearly she was mistaken. In fact, she was quite impressed. It was a one hundred percent difference.

Humming to herself happily as they floated on her oar together, she couldn't help but sneak a glance back at him. He was glaring off into the distance, probably bored by now, and his grumpiness made her smile to herself. Despite his blasé countenance, Hiei-in-love proved that he really did care about what his would be partner thought and felt. Who would have guessed?

Thinking she ought to put him out of his misery for being such a good sport today, she looked into her ferrying list and saw she had a whole hour before her next soul was ready to be transported. With that so easily sorted, the ferry girl shot off towards the mountains, steering her oar with expert skill as she dove them through clouds until finally reaching her destination.

Hopping off of her oar, Botan smiled as she twirled around towards Hiei, "Well, we're here! What do you think?"

Hiei looked around them, taking in the trees and fresh smell. A slight mist covered the area while birds chirped excitedly at their arrival and the outlines of other mountains surrounding them blurred in the distance.

"Hn. The solitude pleases me."

Botan clapped her hands together happily as her oar disappeared and she flopped down into the grass, "Wonderful! I was hoping you'd say that. We have some time to relax until our next soul."


	9. R&R Part Two

Okay, here's part two! And I'm going to stray slightly from my planned path and focus on Hiei a bit. In fact, there are a few chapters coming up where we'll be getting a look into Hiei's side of things.

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 **The Love Bug**  
Chapter Nine: _R &R Part Two_

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Hiei found himself in the grass next to Botan instead of seeking out his preferred spot in a tree. She was quiet for once and he could deal with that. He assumed she was taking in the peace and quiet of the mountains in Human World. He could get used to this, he thought, watching her as she closed her eyes while basking in the small amount of sun peeking through the mist covering them.

He decided to follow suit and laid back into the cool blades of grass, tucking his sword into his side and letting his eyes fall shut. Human World might be full of weak idiots, but there were small areas such as this that appealed to his senses. With the clean air, cold grass, and the sounds of birds in the distance, Hiei found himself dozing off next to his blue haired woman.

The fire demon woke some time later to a girlish giggle next to him. Cracking one eye open to see what the ferry girl was so amused at, he was met with the sight of her leaning on one arm towards him, her hand over her mouth as she giggled more.

"What is it, woman?" He ground out, his question lacking the usual bite in its tone.

Botan smiled contently at him and he felt his tummy doing odd flips. Maybe all this fresh air was getting to his head. Or maybe it was that stupid love potion. Either way, something was getting to him as the sun fighting its way through the mist shined down on her, illuminating her skin and giving her amethyst eyes an unearthly glow. His throat tightened as he resisted the growl forcing its way out.

"Oh nothing, silly. I just never in a million years would have imagined you and I sitting in the wilderness together. Getting along, no less! Not a single death threat today. Maybe we'll set a record... I know none of it's real, but still. It's funny."

She laughed to herself again and that something in him finally snapped. The growl he had been holding back rumbled deep in his throat, and her eyes widened in realization. The shoulder she had been leaning towards him with was quickly pinned to the ground by his hand as he was now the one leaning over her, smirking at her surprise.

"H-Hiei," Botan breathed out and that was about all he could take as he lowered himself to her until his lips were mere centimeters from hers. Her eyes had followed his, slightly fearful, until their breaths were mingling, and she almost crossed her eyes looking at their nearly conjoined lips. She shook her head slightly and their lips just barely ghosted together.

That was enough to shake Botan from her surprised stupor, and she quickly pushed him off of her, sitting up in the grass and tucking her knees to the side.

"This isn't you, it's the potion," she mumbled with an embarrassed blush, and within seconds he was gone. She was left in the small clearing until she had to ferry her next soul, sitting in silence with her fingers to her lips. It was almost as if they were on fire and she wondered if that's what it was like to be kissed. If so, she could see why Yusuke and Keiko did it so much. Her romance novels didn't compare to this, and they hadn't even actually kissed. He didn't even actually _like_ her!

.

She didn't see him for the rest of the day. She figured that was for the best though, considering the pesky tingle lingering on her lips.


End file.
